How does perception come into the picture when we are discussing the Stress Response?
Well, it actually has a bigger role than many have been led to believe. Stress, when looked at within its simplest form, is a trigger that sends our body into a cascading chain of events. It sparks our sympathetic nervous system, and tells our bodies to get ready for flight or fight.

The fascinating thing about what is a stressor though lies in what we perceive to be such.

Science has uncovered that our brains create the reality in which we exist in. It does all of this simply from inputing the sensory data from what we experience throughout our life. This data is plugged into our brains and helps us navigate our daily lives. The issue with this, is that if we are not conscious about our actions, we can fall victim to a cycle of repeated patterns and behaviors.

Our brain is like a computer.
It is ran by the coding of our lives, and processes off of said coding.

So when we look at how stress affects us, we have to look at how we view it. As it has been said time and time again, we are all our own individual beings. We are unique within the lives that we have experienced and so is the cellular structure that comes together to create us.

When it comes to how we view stress, there are an array of factors that come into play, but the common theme among all of those factors is this: we can rewire all of it. It is tedious work, but the ability to transform the way our brains view stress is achievable by anyone who puts their mind to it.

Stress, as we have learned, is not only physical, as it is psychological as well. This means that what we perceive to be stress, will be stress. This can become a lengthy nose dive into a complex, yet intriguing topic. For that matter, we will keep this brief and save that for its own moment to shine. With that said, our brain is the computing center for the body. When thinking of a desktop computer, the brain would be the tower. It is here where all of the information received throughout our entire lives are inputed and stored.

In a sense, we didn’t get to choose our original coding when it comes to how we handle and perceive stress. This is because we were pre-programmed before we could even know what stress was. As children, we are predisposed to the environment around us, as well as our genetic make-up. We sit back and observe what happens around us, ingesting the information and storing it within different compartments of our brain.

Our perception to stress more than likely has already been built off of those early life observations, so most of us are starting in similar positions when it comes to how we perceive stress.

Which is not the healthiest.

We allow a lot to pile up on our mental plate, and given that our brain cannot tell the difference between an upcoming bill and someone or something chasing us, it is crucial that we learn to change how we view stress.

In order to change ones views on how their brain processes the exposure to a stressor, one has to be open to modifying aspects of themselves. Our lifestyles are heavily intertwined within our health outcomes, and when we are faced with chronic activation of the stress response, it is important that we take a step back to properly look at the whole picture. To be able to examine where we may need to make changes and where we can become more open to other ways of thinking.

An article posted in The National Library of Medicine did a meta-anlysis of studies that had examined the effects of perceived stress on life satisfaction levels. From the studies, it was seen that the way one views stress, impacts how it will affect them. When an individual is able to interpret a stressful event as a challenge rather than harmful or a threat, they allow their bodies to adapt to stress in a more progressive way. This is due to their brain perceiving the stressful event as valuable insight that will help them better adapt and handle future similar situations.To add to this, it has been found that those who believe in themselves and their ability to handle challenging situations, are able to look at those stressful moments and view them as challenges to be mastered and achieved. Having a deeper level of self-efficacy allows one to adjust better to what they are experiencing. This is where reframing and rewiring the way in which the brain responds to stress is a critical step in learning how to reclaim your power over stress.

In order to change our perception, we have to change our brains. Rewiring our brains is a tedious task, but the rewards are well worth it. This is a subject that will be further examined and explained in due time, as it deserves its own series. For now, we will wrap up with saying this, our brains are miraculous machines.
Yet, all machines are programmable.

No matter what you are pre-programmed with, everyone has the ability to change the way in which they process and perceive stress. As you dive deeper into yourself and unravel the unique twists and turns that come together to create you, you are faced with opportunities to overcome those predisposed thoughts about yourself, stress, and your ability to overcome challenge.